An Ace Attorney Christmas Carol
by theAceAttorneyRises
Summary: Miles Edgeworth never liked the holiday season, he saw it as nothing more than a excuse for people to be lazy and skip work. However, on Christmas Eve he's faced with some very spirited visitors who are determined to show him the reason for the season. Written for the Wright and Co. Law Offices Facebook page.
1. Chapter 1

The cold, brisk winds blew through the air of LA. It was Christmas Eve and the people of this fair city were travelling about town making preparations for the big day tomorrow. Whether they celebrated Christmas, Kwanzaa Hanukkah or the Winter Solstice, everybody loved the holiday season. Outside the Prosecutor's Office a group of Christmas carolers gleefully sang "Joy to The World" as they brought joy and cheer to everyone who heard their song. Well, almost everyone… Miles Edgeworth wasn't a bad man, far from it; he was a man with a heart for truth and justice. The only problem was that Edgeworth was a bit of a workaholic and simply spent an unhealthy amount of time working. Edgeworth walked out from the parking lot and approached the entrance of the Prosecutor's Office, and much to his annoyance he saw the carolers standing in front of the office singing songs of joy and cheer. Edgeworth rolled his eyes and approached the carolers.

"Merry Christmas, sir! How are you today?" One caroler asked.

"Do you have a permit?" Edgeworth asked, giving the carolers a glare colder than the air that filled L.A.

"No sir, we don't sir. We're just walking around the city trying to spread the joy of the holidays, sir." The head caroler replied timidly as he held his hat in his hands.

"Ah, so you're disturbing the peace?" Edgeworth pressed.

"We're just caroling sir…"

"What you're doing is illegal, so stop before I have you arrested. Am I understood?" Edgeworth interrupted crossing his arms.

"Y-yes, sir." The caroler said as he gripped his hat in his hands and left with the other carolers, their Christmas cheer crushed by the Demon Prosecutor.

"Christmas… Bah, I don't see why everyone makes such a big fuss about it…" Edgeworth adjusted the cravat he wore on his neck and proceeded to walk inside the large building that stood before him. "It's nothing more than an excuse for selfish people to receive gifts, and for lazy people to avoid work."

As Edgeworth walked through the doors he took note of all of the tacky decorations that had been set up in the main area of the Prosecutor's Office. There was a large Christmas tree planted in the center of the office that irked Edgeworth the moment it was brought in, the glared at the piney abomination that he knew would be nothing more than another needless distraction to hinder these people from working. What's worse is that he'd have to help take it down when this horrid holiday passed.

"At least I only have to put up with you for one more day…" Edgeworth muttered to the tree as he walked past it and into his office.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Edgeworth sir!" A voice greeted as Edgeworth opened the door to his office. Detective Gumshoe stood next to Edgeworth's desk wearing a wide grin on his face.

"What do you need, Detective?" Edgeworth asked as he walked over to his desk and sat in it, clearly avoiding any needless small talk.

"Well sir, I was wondering if I could have the day off tomorrow. Y'know, so I Maggey and I can spend our first Christmas together." Gumshoe asked as he rubbed the back of his neck.

"No." Edgeworth responded dryly, focusing on his paperwork.

"No?" Gumshoe asked trying to hide the disappointment in his voice.

"Tomorrow's another working day, Detective, Christmas or not." Edgeworth replied, not even looking at Gumshoe.

"A-alright, sir… Can I at least have a Christmas bonus?"

"A bonus of any kind must be earned, Detective. You need to start doing better detective work before I even so much as consider giving you a raise." Edgeworth scolded.

"Y-yes sir…" The poor detective lowered his head as he sulked his way out of Edgeworth's office. "Merry Christmas, Mr. Edgeworth sir…"

Edgeworth half-heartedly waved his hand in response to the detective's words as the dirt poor detective closed the door to the office. "Merry Christmas," Edgeworth muttered to himself "Hmph."

As Edgeworth finished his paperwork and began to file it away, there was a knock on his door. Edgeworth looked over to the door as he placed his files into his filing cabinet. He took a deep sigh and walked over to the door to open it. As he reached his hand out to the door's handle to open the door for his guest the door thrust itself open, Maya Fey ran into the office clad in her usual spirit medium robes with the added accessory of a scarf. In her hands she carried a Christmas wreath.

"Merry Christmas, Mr. Edgeworth!" Maya greeted cheerfully as she searched frantically around the office for a place to hang the wreath.

"Maya, you can't just barge into his office!" Phoenix sighed as he stood by the door to Edgeworth's office.

"What do you two need?" Edgeworth replied plainly.

"Yesh, Merry Christmas to you too Scrooge." Maya responded as she placed the wreath on the wall.

"What?" Edgeworth questioned, cocking an eyebrow.

"Y'know, Scrooge! The guy from the Christmas Carol," Maya ginned while Edgeworth stayed staring at her in confusion, "Grumpy guy, hated Christmas…" Edgeworth remained silent, "You've seriously never read or seen the Christmas Carol?"

"Heard of it, never bothered to read the books or see the adaptations. I'm not too fond of Christmas stories." Edgeworth deadpanned as he removed the wreath from the wall.

"Seriously!?" Maya questioned in shock, "Not even the Muppet's version o-or the Mickey Mouse version!?"

"No." Edgeworth replied.

The young spirit medium grinned as she swiped the wreath from the grumpy prosecutor's hand and placed it on his head. Edgeworth spluttered in shock as he found himself wearing the wreath around his neck. "Well now we know what we're doing tomorrow, then!" Maya cheerfully exclaimed.

"Tomorrow?" Edgeworth grumbled as he attempted to remove the wreath from around his neck.

"That's why we came here in the first place. We wanted to know if you would like to celebrate Christmas with us." Phoenix said as he placed his hand into his pocket.

"Thank you, Wright," Edgeworth said as he continued to struggle with the wreath, "But I'm afraid I'm going to have to decline your offer."

This response wasn't much of a surprise to Phoenix, he knew Edgeworth practically lived in his office and would only leave it if he had to leave for business. He knew that Edgeworth would more than likely spend Christmas here in his office trying to find something to do, even if he wasn't needed.

"Alright, well never the less have a Merry Christmas, Edgeworth." Phoenix said as he and Maya left the room.

"Tell the Ghost of Christmas Past that I said hi!" Maya added teasingly as she shut the door.

Edgeworth had finally managed to pop his head out of the wreath that Maya had trapped him in. He rubbed his neck and mumbled "Christmas, bah!"

The hours passed through the day and everyone had left the office to go home and spent Christmas Eve with their loved ones; everyone except Miles Edgeworth of course who remained behind for whatever reason. The clouds in the sky had already been replaced by bright sparkling stars. Despite this, Edgeworth stayed at the office and scrambled about; trying to find something to do as he was certain that in their rush to leave the office and go home his coworkers more than likely forgot to do something. Edgeworth walked through the dark and desolate halls of the Prosecutor's Office, the halls held an oddly gloomy feeling that emanated through the pictures that decorated the walls of the hall. The pictures held the images of the various people who had won the esteemed "King of the Prosecutors" award. Edgeworth stopped right in front of the picture of his former mentor, Manfred von Karma. Three years ago, on this very night, Miles Edgeworth found himself facing charges for the murder of defense attorney Robert Hammond. The man who had framed Edgeworth for this heinous act was none other than the man whose image Edgeworth stood before. Edgeworth shook these memories out of his head and noticed something different about Von Karma's picture, in place of the usual stern expression Von Karma held, the image portrayed Von Karma screaming much like he had when he his plan was foiled by a certain defense attorney. Edgeworth recoiled in shock at seeing the frightful painting that lie before him. Edgeworth rubbed his eyes, certain that they had been playing tricks on him. Edgeworth looked back up at the picture and saw that it had returned to normal.

"You've been up too long Miles," Edgeworth mumbled to himself "Perhaps it's time to head home and get some shut eye…"

"Too tired to work?" A strong voice echoed from behind Edgeworth "How absolutely pathetic." Edgeworth swung around to look behind him, searching for the source of the voice that had spoken. He knew that voice but he was certain that it could not possibly be who he thought it was. "I know what you're thinking, Miles. 'It can't possibly be who I think it is' Correct? Well my dearest Miles Edgeworth, your ears do not deceive you." Edgeworth felt a cold sweat trickle down his face as this voice spoke. "Turn around, Miles." The voice demanded. Edgeworth turned back around slowly and cautiously just as the voice had instructed him to. He wasn't sure why he was doing what the voice instructed him to do. Was it out of fear? Or was it the fact that throughout his childhood he had learned to fear and obey this voice? As Edgeworth turned around he found himself staring the portrait of Manfred von Karma. The portrait had once again changed; its eyes were dead and lacked pupils, its skin color was a ghastly grey, and the once regal appearance of his clothes were now tattered and worn. The portrait had begun to rattle as the image shown in the picture began to rip itself out of the portrait, releasing a horrible scream into the air. Edgeworth's eyes widened in shock, his entire body was frozen in fear as the ghastly figure approached him. Edgeworth was a man of logic and reason but he could not possibly comprehend what was happening at the moment.

"V-von Karma…" Edgeworth muttered as he stood before the spirit of his dead mentor.

"You've disappointed me, Miles." Von Karma spoke as he circled Edgeworth "You've grown soft."

"I've grown stronger… I'm not your tool anymore." Edgeworth stammered.

"Are you so certain? You may have twisted the meaning of the word prosecutor into something utterly repulsive, but I still have quite the hold on you." Von Karma said as his hand phased through Edgeworth's chest and he wrapped his ghoulish fingers around his heart.

"Why? H-how? How are you…" Edgeworth was for once, at a loss for words. "Are you here to kill me?"

"I would love to… But I can't." Von Karma stated as his hand harmlessly phased through Edgeworth's heart. Von Karma took his arm out of Edgeworth's body and turned away, "The powers at be decided to make a message out of me…"

"A message?" Edgeworth questioned.

"A warning." Von Karma answered. "You will be visited by three more spirits, Edgeworth…Warm your soul, Edgeworth. Or it will be eternally warmed for you…"

"But I've changed; I'm not like you anymore!" Edgeworth shouted.

"Not entirely." Von Karma replied before fading back into his portrait leaving Edgeworth alone in the dark halls of the office.


	2. Chapter 2

Edgeworth quickly jolted into his office and shut the door behind him, locking it in a hurry. He ran his hand through his hair, attempting to comprehend what had just happened. Surely his eyes were playing tricks on him, that couldn't have been Manfred von Karma that he encountered out in the hallway. That man was dead; he was tried for his crimes and executed. Edgeworth's thoughts were interrupted as a gentle breeze came in through his window. Edgeworth cocked an eyebrow and recalled that he had not left any windows open when he left his office. Despite his recollection, his window was wide open as the wind blew the cold winter air inside the room.

"Blasted air," Edgeworth muttered to himself as he shivered "Can't you leave me in peace?" Edgeworth walked over to his window and slammed it shut. Once the window had been shut, Edgeworth walked over to the couch he had on the side of his office for when he just wanted to relax and enjoy a nice cup of tea. Maybe that's just what he needed, a nice cup of tea to soothe his nerves. Edgeworth had already prepared a pot for when he decided to take a break during work, so the esteemed prosecutor leaned forward towards the table in front of him and reached for his pot of tea so that he may poor himself a cup.

"You wouldn't mind if I had a cup too, would you?" A soft pleasant voice sounded from next to Edgeworth.

"Of course not, it would be my…." Edgeworth eyes widened at the realization as his cup overflowed and began to spill tea on the table. He cautiously turned his head to lay his eyes on his unexpected visitor. A woman clad in a magnificent white robe sat next to him with a purple magatama tied around her neck. Edgeworth dropped his cup of tea in shock and rose from his seat. He looked down at the woman who sat before him and squinted, attempting to make out the woman's face in the dark. "Maya?" He questioned. Edgeworth's look of fear quickly turned into a look of frustration, "I swear if this is another prank by you and Wright, I will have you arrested and thrown in jail to serve TWO life sentences!"

"Oh? So my sister's starting to look like me?" The woman said as she stood up and walked towards Edgeworth. The darkness seemed to clear as she stepped forward; before him stood Mia Fey, Phoenix Wright's mentor and the older sister of Maya Fey.

"Mia Fey… B-but you're…" Edgeworth stammered.

"Dead? Yeah." Mia interrupted. "But tonight's not about me, Edgeworth. It's about you."

"Pardon?"

"Let me show you." Mia explained as the window opened and cold air rushed into the room with almost hurricane level winds, nearly knocking Edgeworth off of his feet.

"Are you insane!? Shut that window before-!" Edgeworth was swiftly interrupted by Mia grabbing Edgeworth by his arm and tossing him out of the window. Edgeworth screamed as he shut his eyes, plummeting towards the ground with the fierce winds blasting against his face. "Oh God, oh God, oh God, oh God, oh… " Edgeworth repeated as he opened an eye just to see how close to the ground he was, "God?" His noticed that his face was just inches away from slamming into the ground but he had stopped falling right before his face could slam into the cold pavement. Edgeworth looked up and was meet with the fact that Mia was floating above the ground holding his leg, preventing him from becoming a splattered mess on the pavement.

"C'mon Edgeworth, quit messing around! We don't have all night!" Mia chuckled.

"Impossible… How are you-?" Edgeworth questioned in shock.

"No time to explain. Like I said, we don't have all night!" Mia said as she soared through the air holding Edgeworth's leg. She speedily flew past the L.A towers that pierced into the night sky with the biting winter air becoming harsher and harsher until it reached the point where it finally started to snow.

"It doesn't usually snow here. Pretty strange, right Edgeworth?" Mia commented as she flew.

"…I've seen stranger." Edgeworth deadpanned as he dangled by his leg.

"Hey, look at that!" Mia exclaimed as she pointed to the ground.

Edgeworth cocked an eyebrow and looked to the ground to see a kid sliding on the snow at an alarmingly fast rate on a sled. "If that child's not careful he'll wind up hurting himself."

"Let's take a closer look, shall we?" Mia then dove from the air to reach ground level as they trailed the kid on the sled.

Edgeworth felt his stomach turn inside out at the sudden drop. If they didn't slow down soon he was certain that he'd lose any and all stomach contents. This was all he could focus on until he realized something, it was daytime. "That's odd…" He muttered to himself.

"Heads up." Mia said.

"What?" Edgeworth replied before he looked up to see exactly what Mia meant. They were following the kid still and were about to crash into a tree. Edgeworth flinched as he and Mia harmlessly phased through the tree. Mia descended to the ground and let go of Edgeworth's leg, dropping him into the snow. Edgeworth then looked up from the ground and scrambled to get up, "How did we-? How did you-?" Edgeworth stammered struggling to comprehend what had just happened. Mia merely raised a finger to her lips to silence him and pointed his attention to the kid who had just crashed into the tree. Edgeworth walked over to the tree and attempted to check the kid's pulse but his fingers phased through the child. Edgeworth turned his head towards Mia for answers but she remained silent. Edgeworth opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sound of feet trudging their way through the snow.

"Yeeeesh Edgey, you alright?" A child's voice sounded from the distance. The footsteps drew closer as two children clad in winter clothes ran up to the child who lay in the snow.

"I-Is he dead, Larry?" One child clad in a blue winter coat with a beanie over his head, asked. The other kid, one dressed in an orange winter coat with a Santa hat covering his head, looked over at the kid in blue.

"Where do you think we should bury the body, Nick?" He replied.

"I'm fine." A muffled voice rang out from the child who was buried with snow. The child got up from the ground and shook the snow off of his body. Edgeworth's eyes widened at the realization. It was him, that small child who crashed into the tree while riding a sled was a nine year old, Miles Edgeworth! "Remind me to never listen to another one of your ideas, Larry."

"That's… That's me! December 25, 2001! How are we here!?" The older Miles Edgeworth questioned in shock.

"Miles Edgeworth, allow me to properly introduce myself. My name is Mia Fey but tonight you can call me the Ghost of Christmas Past." Mia bowed.

"…Maya says hi…" Edgeworth deadpanned as he turned his attention back towards the scene before him.

"C'mon, Edgey! You gotta admit that it was fun!" The younger Larry Butz replied to the younger Edgeworth's remark.

The nine year old Edgeworth attempted to glare at Larry but found a smile cracking on his face, "Well… it was rather enjoyable." He admitted.

"It was fun. There was nothing quite like it; the cold winter air blasting across your face as you sped through the snow with no direct control over where you were going, there was a fascinating sense of danger that I had never experienced before or ever again… Well, until tonight that is." The 27 year old Edgeworth commented casting a glance at Mia.

"Miles!" A voice rang out from the distance, "It's time to come inside, son!" Mia glanced over at Edgeworth and noticed that his eyes had widened.

"Yes, father!" The young Miles answered. "Bye guys." He said before he ran off towards the direction that the voice came from. Edgeworth watched his younger self run excitedly through the snow and into his house. The door slammed shut as the younger Phoenix and Larry picked up the sled and ran up the hill to continue their fun in the snow. Edgeworth absent mindedly walked to the front door of his childhood home; it wasn't anything fancy or luxurious like the home Edgeworth currently owned. Instead it was a quiet, quaint, and cozy little home that brought back many memories for the prosecutor. Mia walked up to the door in front of Edgeworth and knocked.

Edgeworth opened his mouth to question just how Mia was physically able to interact with an object but before he could speak the door to his old home creaked open. Edgeworth's mouth was left agape as he was face to face with his father, Gregory Edgeworth. Their eyes met for what felt like an eternity, Edgeworth's composure began to break as his eyes began to water. The prosecutor reached his hand out to feel his father's face but harsh reality began to set in as his hand phased through the defense attorney. With a deep breathe Edgeworth slowly closed his fist and used it to wipe the tears from his eyes.

"Who is it, father?" The voice of the young Miles rang from inside.

"No one, son." Gregory responded with a warm smile as he closed the door.

Edgeworth stood in front of the door, staring at it thoughtfully with his eyes expressing great sorrow. Mia placed her hand on Edgeworth's shoulder and greeted him with a comforting smile. She guided him through the door as they phased through the wooden barrier. Inside the cozy home was an even cozier living room. A large Christmas tree was the center of attention in the room as there were many presents kept under the tree.

"That's quite the Christmas tree, Miles." Mia commented. Edgeworth simply ignored the spirit's comment and walked towards the fireplace that gave the room a sense of warmth adorned with a comfortable glow. Mia walked over to the fireplace and stood before it alongside Edgeworth. It wasn't the beautiful, dancing flames that caught their attention; it was the stockings that hung over the fireplace. Mia's eye observed the three stockings; one was labeled "DAD" and held a picture of Gregory Edgeworth wearing a Santa costume and smiling for the camera; the other was labeled "ME" and held a picture of Edgeworth as an infant, smiling happily as he played with a toy car, "You were adorable." Mia commented as she continued to look at the image of baby Edgeworth. Edgeworth didn't even acknowledge her comment; as he was too busy staring intently as the third and final stocking. Mia then turned her attention to the final stocking as well, her heart shattered at the sight of what she saw. Before them both lay a stocking labeled "MOM" that held the image of a beautiful woman with a loving and tender smile holding a newborn baby.

"This was our first Christmas without her;" Edgeworth finally spoke "She was always very ill and her body just… Shut down."

"I miss her too, Miles." Gregory's voice sounded from behind them. Edgeworth turned around to his father place a comforting hand on the shoulder of the nine year old Miles, who had been staring sadly at the stockings. "But she wouldn't want us to be so sad during her favorite time of the year. Your mother always said that Christmas was about leaving all your problems behind, just for one day, and sharing joy with your family." The small child's eyes began to glisten with tears at his father's words. Gregory knelt down on one knee and wrapped his son in a hug. "It's ok, Miles. It's ok;" Gregory's eyes began to swell with tears as well "I'm still here… We're still family. And I promise you that will never change."

"Take me back." The older Edgeworth demanded as he turned away from the scene, "Now."

"Edgeworth…" Mia spoke, trying to comfort the grieving prosecutor.

"Why are you showing me this!?" Edgeworth shouted "To make me remember the happy Christmas memories I had? Well guess what! Just three days later my father was taken from this world! Taken from me! Christmas didn't stop that, if anything it just served as a cruel irony…"

"Would like to return to the Prosecutor's Office?" Mia asked.

"Yes," Edgeworth answered "I would appreciate that."

Just as Edgeworth answered, the entire scene around them had begun to turn into snow and spin around them as if they were caught in the middle of some winter tornado. Soon enough the snow began to settle and morph into the Prosecutor's Office. Edgeworth and Mia found themselves inside the halls of the Prosecutor's Office. The lights in the entire building were off save for a small source of light stemming from behind a door.

"Ah, there's my office. Thank you, Miss Fey. Tonight certainly has been interesting, now if you'll excuse me I have to get back to work." Edgeworth said as he reached his hand out to grab the door knob to his office. Just before he could do so an 18 year old boy wearing a red winter coat walked through Edgeworth and opened the door. Edgeworth cast an annoyed glance at Mia, realizing that he had just been tricked. Never the less he decided to follow the boy into the office. The boy was carrying some files and dropped them off at a desk where a small candle served as the source of light for the entire room. The shadowy figure that sat at the desk reached out and grabbed the files. The boy stood by the desk waiting for a sign of gratitude from the figure but was ignored.

"Sir…" The boy spoke.

"Yes, Miles?" The figure responded.

"You're not going to the Christmas party being thrown by the chief prosecutor, sir?"

"Why would I?"

"It might be fun, sir…" The boy answered.

"It would be a waste of time and time is something a prosecutor cannot waste, Miles."

"Y-yes Mr. Von Karma." The boy stammered.

"It was my first time back in America after living in Germany with the von Karmas ever since the DL-6 incident." Edgeworth took a deep breathe "And I didn't want to waste my time cramped up in the office." Mia merely listened to Edgeworth speak as they both followed the boy out of the office to the entrance of the building.

The boy looked behind himself at the building's entrance. "And so," Mia spoke as the boy looked forward and began to run "You didn't. You ran, you ran all the way to the Gatewater Hotel where they held the Christmas Party for the prosecutor's. But why there, Edgeworth?" The boy huffed and puffed as he ran through the streets as fast as he could until he reached the Gatewater. "Why the Christmas Party for the prosecutors?"

"Sooner or later they were going to be my peers and I had wished to get to know them." Edgeworth explained as he and Mia walked inside the Gatewater. The main hall of the Gatewater was nowhere near as lavish as it was now, in place of the decadent gold that lined the walls of the modern day Gatewater, simple brick and stone was in its place. Despite this, the hall was still filled with people from the Prosecutor's Office all gathered together to celebrate Christmas. The decorations weren't too extravagant; they had merely placed a banner that wished everyone a Merry Christmas on the ceiling. A smile crept over the boy's face as his eyes searched the crowd.

"So you came here to meet your future peers?" Mia questioned.

"Yes" Edgeworth responded.

"I seriously doubt that." Mia replied with a sly smile on her face as she watched the boy rush past the crowd towards the punch bowl where a woman stood filling her cup with the beverage.

"Detective Skye" The boy spoke.

"Well… I guess you could say that I had an ulterior motive…" Edgeworth mumbled.

"The Demon Prosecutor has a heart after all." Mia chuckled.

"Leave me alone, I was only 18 at the time… Hormones and all that what not…" Edgeworth replied.

"Yes?" The woman replied with a smile on her face.

"We met earlier today. M-my name is…" The boy stammered.

"MILES EDGEWORTH!" A small German child's voice shouted as a riding crop struck the boy in the back causing him to yelp in pain. The 18 year old Edgeworth looked turned around and saw the 11 year old girl with silver hair giving him a disapproving glare.

"Franziska!? What are you-!?" The boy was interrupted by another strike from the riding crop causing him to let out a pained grunt.

"The more important question, little brother is what you are doing here, Miles Edgeworth!" Franziska scolded. "I saw you foolishly leave the Prosecutor's Office despite Papa saying that coming here was a waste of time. And no real prosecutor wastes their time!"

Franziska once again struck the younger Edgeworth with her weapon; causing him to trip and fall on top off Lana, resulting in her spilling her drink on both of them. The younger Edgeworth's eyes widened in shock as he realized what had just happened; he quickly helped Lana to her feet.

"I-I am so sorry!" He stammered.

"It's alright, accidents happen." Lana replied with a chuckle.

"Tell you what, uh, let me go get some napkins and we'll get you cleaned up." The young Miles said as he stepped forward to leave. However, the cruel mistress known as misfortune struck again as Miles slipped on the spilled drink and fell on the table, flipping it over and causing the punch bowl to go flying.

"And the winner of this year's 'King of the Prosecutors' award goes to… Winston Payne! The Rookie Killer!" The chief prosecutor announced over a microphone as a meek, frail man clad in a green suit stepped forward to obtain his prize. Just as he reached out accept the award, the punch bowl came flying down and landed on his glorious hair.

"Papa deserved that award anyways. I can't believe these foolhardy fools didn't allow him to receive it for a 6th year in a row!" Franziska commented, breaking the awkward silence as Miles' face turned redder than the coat he wore.

"MILES EDGEWORTH." A loud, commanding voice rang out from the entrance of the hall. The crowd parted like the Red Sea as Manfred von Karma walked over to the punch drenched Miles.

"There he is, Papa! The foolishly foolish fool is foolishly shaming the von Karma name!" Franziska said point to Miles.

"Edgeworth… It's time we had a talk…" Manfred sneered as he reached out to grab Edgeworth by the arm.

"Take me back." The 27 year old Edgeworth pleaded to Mia. "I don't want to relive this! …Please…"

Mia looked over to Edgeworth and nodded as the scene around them stopped in time and began to form into a flurry of wind and snow. They both found themselves in back in Edgeworth's office, just how they left it.

"Why!? Why show me these painful memories!?" Edgeworth interrogated as Mia stood there remaining silent. "WHY!?"

"To show you that you didn't always hate Christmas., to show you that you allow your past to haunt even this joyous holiday." Mia answered.

"Bah!" Edgeworth grunted "Just leave me alone… What does it matter to you anyway?"

"Edgeworth…"

"I SAID LEAVE ME ALONE!" The prosecutor shouted at the spirit that stood before him. Just as he shouted a strong wind began to pull him towards the window. "W-what's going on!?" He questioned as the wind's strength increase until the point where it sucked him out of the window completely and he was left tumbling through the air. "MISS FEY! HELP!" Edgeworth shouted as he fell. He watched in horror as he reached closer to the ground.

"NO!" Edgeworth shouted as he woke up from the nightmare drenched in a cold sweat. He looked around his surroundings in confusion until he realized that he was in his bed. "It was all just a bad dream!" He chuckled in relief. Edgeworth then rolled out of bed and walked into his kitchen. "Some tea will help soothe the post-nightmare jitters." Edgeworth stated as he poured himself a cup of tea. Once the tea cup was filled, Edgeworth brought the cup to his mouth so that he may enjoy a sip. However; just as he was about to enjoy his tea, the sound of an organ boomed throughout his home startling Edgeworth and causing him to spill his hot tea onto himself. The organ began playing an interesting melody that Edgeworth swore he recognized, he had heard it somewhere before. Did Edgeworth leave his TV on as they reran the episode of the Steel Samurai where the Evil Magistrate used an enchanted organ to hypnotize the people of Neo Olde Tokyo? Or perhaps he left the radio on and they were playing songs from "The Phantom of the Opera". Either way, Edgeworth journeyed to his living room to discover the source of this organ. As he drew closer to the source of the sound, Edgeworth began to realize just where he had heard the music before. It was the song that always blared from the office of the Chief of Police. Edgeworth walked in the living room where a giant organ lay in the center of the room with a large man clad in a Santa costume playing it. The man had his back to Edgeworth but could still sense his presence as he entered the room. The man stopped playing his organ and spoke…

"Ah, you're finally awake… Worthy…" The man said as he turned around and revealed himself the Edgeworth. Before the prosecutor, sat the former Chief of Police… Damon Gant.


	3. Chapter 3

"Damon Gant…" Edgeworth muttered under his breath as he looked upon the figure that sat before him.

"Let's not stand on ceremony here, Worthy." Gant grinned as he played the massive instrument he sat before. "Just call me The Ghost of Christmas Present." Gant said as he adjusted the Santa hat he wore on his head.

"Ghost? Last I checked you were still in prison." Edgeworth questioned.

"Details, details." Gant replied waving the question off. "The point is that someone here has been a Scrooge and so some higher power decided some good ol' fashion haunting would you some good."

"Wonderful" Edgeworth grumbled.

"So pop a squat next to jolly ol' Ganta Claus and we'll begin our little journey." Gant said as he scooted over and pat the area on the organ next to him, signaling Edgeworth to take a seat.

"Journey into what? The present? We're already here." Edgeworth remarked.

Gant let out a mighty laugh and clapped his hands before using them to wipe away a tear that had developed in his eye. "That's a good one, Worthy… Now hurry up and take a seat, otherwise you'll wind up on my naughty list and the last person who wound up on the naughty list wound up impaled on a spear…" Gant said as he glared at Edgeworth before he began to laugh at his own joke, or at least that's what Edgeworth hoped it was.

With a heavy sigh Edgeworth submitted and sat next to Gant on the seat in front of the organ. "Very well, just make it quick…"

"Buckle up!" Gant exclaimed as he began to play his usual jolly tune on the organ. Edgeworth rolled his eyes and crossed his arms as he sat next to the former police chief. He sat listening to Gant's song until he realized that the organ had begun to lift itself off of the ground and ascend towards the ceiling.

"I'm dreaming… I just woke up from a dream and now I'm dreaming again…" Edgeworth muttered before being startled by the sound of the organ playing a loud, singular bass note.

"Sorry!" Gant grinned "My finger slipped."

"Gant, we're about to crash into my ceiling…" Edgeworth said as he looked up as the organ continued to ascend.

"What?" Gant questioned as he stuck his pinky into his ear to clean it out so that he can hear Edgeworth more clearly. Just as he did this; Edgeworth, Gant, and the organ all phased harmlessly through the ceiling and soared through the night sky. "Did you say something, Worthy?"

"…Nothing… Nothing at all." Edgeworth said as he looked down at his home. Edgeworth looked at his watch, "9:00 p.m. Hm, I wasn't asleep that long… Now, I'm assuming the reason why the people down below aren't panicking at a flying organ is because they can't see us."

"Right you are, Worthy!" Gant exclaimed. "Now, let's see here…" Gant kept one hand playing the organ and the other hand reached into his pocket to pull out a map. "Our first stop should be just around the corner… Ah! There it is!" Gant yelled as he threw his map into the air and pointed down to the ground beneath them, "Wright and Co. Law Offices! Home of our dearest friend, Wrighto!"

"He lives here?" Edgeworth asked.

"Yes, the office building is comprised of two floors. On the first floor is the main office where Wright he works and on the second floor is the actual apartment with a guest room." Gant informed "You really should get to know your own friends better, Worthy." Edgeworth merely grunted in response as Gant started to play his organ faster causing the flying instrument to make a nosedive to the office.

"Watch out! You're going to-!" Edgeworth panicked as they got closer and closer towards the roof of the office until they just phased through harmlessly into the main office. Gant slowed down the playing of his organ and parked the massive instrument right next to the Christmas tree inside the office.

"We're here!" Gant exclaimed as he clasped his hands together with a wide grin on his face. "And look! There are our hosts!"

Phoenix sat behind his desk filing away some paper work while wearing an atrocious pink sweater with the words "Mystic Maya" inside a giant red heart. The sweater was very uncomfortable and made Phoenix incredibly itchy, so he found himself constantly scratching his body while working.

"I thought she'd never go to sleep!" Maya's voice rang out as she walked down the stairs wearing a sweater that was identical to Phoenix's, save for one detail, in place of the words "Mystic Maya" this sweater had the words "Mr. Nick" written on it.

"Does that mean I can finally take off this sweater?" Phoenix asked.

"Nick!" Maya scolded as she puffed out her cheeks "Pearly put a lot of effort into making these sweaters for us!"

"Yeah, I know… It's really itchy, though!" Phoenix griped.

"Tell me about it," Maya replied, scratching her ribcage "But we can't risk Pearly waking up, coming down here, and seeing us without them on. You done with your paper work?"

"Yeah, just finished the last of it." Phoenix said as he got up from his desk.

Phoenix and Maya both walked towards the couch that sat in the middle of the office but for some odd reason they were walking in odd patterns and tip-toeing as if they were avoiding something.

"What on Earth are they doing?" Edgeworth asked.

"It appears that they're avoiding a carefully laid out trap." Gant commented as he pointed to the ceiling. Edgeworth looked up to the ceiling and saw that it had been covered with mistletoes.

"Good Lord, it's a minefield… How on Earth did Pearl even manage to get them up there?" Edgeworth commented.

"Now explain this to me Worthy… When did Wrighto get himself a girlfriend? I don't recall him having one when I met him." Gant questioned.

"Oh that's right; she wasn't here when you met Wright. Funny, it's hard to imagine Phoenix Wright without Maya Fey." Edgeworth smirked "But they're not a couple, might as well be though."

"Well, they certainly seem happy." Gant added.

"Happy? They're practically family." Edgeworth paused as he watched Maya and Phoenix sit on the couch together; joking around, laughing, and just enjoying each other's company.

"That's what it's all about isn't it, Edgeworth?" Gant spoke "Family. Christmas time is about sitting back and allowing the problems of the world to just melt away as you enjoy this wondrous season with the people you care about."

"Well, some of us have problems that don't melt away so easily." Edgeworth replied.

"Tell that to her." Gant said, shifting his glare towards Maya. "Don't assume me to be ignorant, Miles Edgeworth. You forget that I'm The Ghost of Christmas Present; a spirit of this caliber knows these things, Worthy. That girl has endured so much, more than most people endure in a lifetime. In just a few days she'll have the responsibilities of an entire village thrust upon her shoulders. She has every reason to be a wallowing mess of depression; she comes from a bloodline whose history is drenched in blood, a bloodline that has caused almost everyone she has ever cared about to die. So don't you stand there and tell me that you have issues while that girl sits over there laughing and smiling without a care in the world."

It was easy to forget that Maya's lived a terrible life, a life that would've shattered the soul of an average individual. Edgeworth had to admit it; Maya Fey was a lot stronger than most people give her credit for. How could she do it? How could she move on so easily?

"Because of them." Gant spoke "Because of Wrighto and that little girl. Her family, her pillars of strength. That's what she has that you don't. You're so distant, so cold, so apathetic." Gant paused as his glare pierced Edgeworth. "But it's not my place to tell you that, that's someone else's job. My job right now is to show you the wonders of Christmas time" Gant grinned.

"Oh boy," Edgeworth deadpanned "I get to watch people exchange material items just so that they can feel better about themselves and act as if they're decent people."

"Ok," Maya said she placed her hand on her chin in thought "We have a present for Gumshoe, Larry, Franziska" She said as she counted the people on her fingers "I still need to wrap up Edgeworth's." She commented as she pulled out a green cravat decorated with tiny images of Christmas trees and Santas.

"Ha! That's adorable!" Gant chuckled. Edgeworth merely cringed at the sight of the horrid monstrosity that Maya held in her hand.

"I'm sure he'll love it," Phoenix laughed "Now where's his real present?"

"It's already wrapped up under the tree." Maya replied "And Santa should be coming with Pearl's present tonight."

"Yeah…" Phoenix paused "Say, Maya… I just remembered we're out of eggnog. Let me go grab some really quickly and I'll be right back." He said as he stood up from the couch and made his way out the door.

"Let's follow him," Gant suggested as he cracked his knuckles and started to play the organ once again. Edgeworth sighed and situated himself in his seat on the organ before it took off and followed Phoenix through the streets of L.A.

"Why are we following him? He's just going to go buy a present for Pearl." Edgeworth questioned.

"He's already taken care of that." Gant responded "It's hidden in the pot of their office plant."

"Then what's he doing?" Edgeworth asked "We wouldn't be following him if he really was just buying eggnog."

"Patience, Worthy." Gant said as they stopped in front of a jewelry store and watched Phoenix walk through its doors. Gant "parked" his organ in front of the store and dismounted it. "Come along, Pond." Gant said as he pulled out some keys and set the organs alarm.

"I think I preferred the other nickname." Edgeworth commented as he followed Gant through the doors of the store.

"You don't get to choose your nickname, Edgey. Just like how you don't choose the events that occur in your life. They're thrust upon you and it's up to you to make the best or worst out of it." Gant explained as he and Edgeworth walked up to Phoenix. "Take Wrighto for example. He's a man forged from the flames of tragedy and misfortune. A class trial that traumatized him pushed him to become a warrior of the court, being framed for murder by an old flame introduced him to the woman who shaped him into the great defense attorney he is today, the death of his mentor laid the foundation for a friendship that's grown and prospered into an inseparable bond. Life's thrown him some curveballs but they've all helped shape him into who he is today."

"Hi," Phoenix greeted the owner in charge of the store "I'm here to pick up an order from 'Phoenix Wright'."

"Y'know, in all of my years as a jeweler," The owner; a short, overweight, and balding man, said as he used his keys to open a drawer near the cash register "This has got to be the strangest request I've ever gotten." Out of the drawer the jeweler pulled out a small black container much like those that are used for engagement rings. Edgeworth cocked an eyebrow at the container and wondered just what was inside of it. Surely it couldn't be what he thought it was.

"Well she's not exactly a normal girl." Phoenix chuckled as he opened the box to ensure that everything was in order.

The jeweler laughed, "That's how it always is with the ones ya love," He chuckled as he pointed to Phoenix's sweater. Phoenix's eyes widened as he realized he was still wearing the sweater Pearl made for him, it's no wonder he had been so itchy on the way over here.

"Uh, no wait a second…" Phoenix stammered before getting interrupted by the jeweler's chuckle.

"It's alright," The jeweler said raising a hand. "You don't need to explain it to me. I've been in your shoes before. So, everything in order?"

Phoenix grinned as he gently pulled a gold chain out of the small black box and at the end of the chain was a beautiful gold locket with the image of a hamburger engraved on the front of it. "It's perfect." Phoenix said with his eyes still fixated on the locket. Gant grinned as he noticed that his companion was smirking at the sight.

"Something wrong? Your facial muscles are contorting in an unusual fashion." Gant said sarcastically.

"No, nothing's wrong…" Edgeworth explained, still smirking "Maya's going to love it."

"Let's go check on her and see what she's doing, shall we?" Gant said as he guided Edgeworth over to the organ. The two hopped on the organ and took off as Gant played his song.

The organ flew through the sky until it returned to Wright and Co. Law Offices. Once they had parked inside, Gant and Edgeworth observed as Maya frantically searched around the office for something. Edgeworth opened his mouth to ask Gant about what was going on until he decided to just watch for himself.

"C'mon, where'd I put it!?" Maya asked herself as she looked under the office's sofa "Aha!" She exclaimed as she lifted up one of the sofa's cushions and pulled out a grey heap of cloth. Edgeworth squinted to try and get a better look at the bundle she held but he still couldn't make out what it was.

"She doesn't have much money," Gant narrated as Maya pulled out some wrapping paper to wrap up the grey cloth. "So she wasn't able to get Wrighto an extravagant gift like the locket we saw Wrighto purchase for her. But she still placed her heart and soul into making that cloth that she's trying to wrap up."

Edgeworth looked over to Maya and observed the cloth she was wrapping paper around; he noted that it did look a tad bit messy as there were two pairs of crooked blue lines on the cloth. Maya hummed some Christmas music to herself as she finished her sloppy handiwork by placing a bow on top of the mess; attached to that bow was a card that appeared to hold a hand drawn picture of an overweight Phoenix trying to push himself down a chimney with the words "Jolly Ol' Saint Nick" written under the picture. She walked over to place it under the tree until she stopped in her tracks. She looked upon the bundled mess of cloth and wrapping paper she held in her hand as her expression changed from one of eagerness to unease. She opened the card to read the contents of the card, her uneasiness began to grow more and more visible as her eyes read what she had written inside. She took a deep sigh and tore the card off of the bow and threw it inside the trash can. With a deep sigh she placed the present under the tree.

"Why'd she do that!?" Edgeworth blurted out "It was a charming little card!" He said as he walked over to the trash can and attempted to fish out the card. His efforts were futile however as his hand just phased through the card. "Why would she throw it away?"

"Perhaps because there's something written in there that she's not ready for him to know yet." Gant commented "But that's something you'll have to figure out on your own time, Worthy. We have one more stop."

"Where to?" Edgeworth asked as he and Gant took their seats on the organ.

"To visit someone who's down on his luck." Gant replied as the organ took off.

Detective Gumshoe's apartment was run down and old, there wasn't much to it really. It was cold, damp, and dark. The only source of light was a small candle on a small table in the center of the small room, the only room in his home. The organ passed through the wall and landed in the corner of Gumshoe's apartment.

"This is where he lives?" Edgeworth asked as he looked around the room. There wasn't even a bed, only a sleeping bag and a clock.

"You shouldn't be so surprised. You've cut his pay to the point where he practically has to pay to come to work." Gant explained still seated on his organ, watching Edgeworth roam around.

"He must be miserable…" Edgeworth muttered as the door slammed open, phasing harmlessly through Edgeworth.

"I'm dreaaaming of a white Christmaaaas! Just like the one the carols know!" Gumshoe sang as he entered the room carrying some grocery bags. "Now wouldn't it be nice if instead of rain and ice, we got a big fluffy blanket of snoooow!" Gumshoe hummed the rest of the song as he emptied the bags on the table before him, pulling out two packages of a microwavable turkey dinner for him and Maggey to enjoy the next day. "Now that that's taken care of, it's time for dinner!" Gumshoe exclaimed as he pulled out a cup of ramen that he had prepared earlier from the microwave. Gumshoe was about to dig in before he stopped himself, "Whoops! Can't forget to give thanks!" Edgeworth stood by and listened as the man who had so little give thanks for every little thing. "…And thank you for Mr. Edgeworth, pal. I wouldn't have any of this if it weren't for him and I pray that he has a very merry Christmas…"

Edgeworth's eyes widened as he heard that last part. After how cruel he had treated the poor detective, he was still thankful to him. Edgeworth's heart sank to the bottom of his stomach as he took a few steps back and outstretched his hand to lean on Gant's organ but fell down to the ground instead. He looked up from the ground and noticed that he was all alone and surrounded by darkness. Edgeworth then heard the sound of breathing from above him. Edgeworth looked up and saw a figure clothed in a large black cloak looming over him holding a scythe. The figure wore a hood that concealed his face leaving only the bottom half of it visible; even then it was too dark to fully see it.

"Of all the spirits that have visited me on this night you are the one I fear the most… The spirit that represents the unknown, the spirit that shows the harsh realities of time… The image of events yet to pass, the…" Edgeworth stammered as he gazed upon the towering shadow that stood over him.

"The Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come," The figure finished Edgeworth sentence. Its voice was odd; it wasn't this monstrous or mysterious voice that Edgeworth expected. In fact, it sounded casual and almost familiar. "Now are you going to sit there all night or what? Come on, chop, chop." The spirit said as it nudged Edgeworth's leg with the wooden handle of the scythe.


	4. Chapter 4

"Alright princess, nap time's over." The spirit deadpanned as it continued to prod Edgeworth with its scythe. "It's late and I wanna go home, so let's make this quick."

Edgeworth grunted as he got up from the ground and popped his back. "Very well, Spirit. So do I just grab your staff or-?"

"Ha…! Hey pal, we just met." The spirit slyly responded. "At least buy me dinner first."

Edgeworth sighed and reworded his question "So how are we going to fly this time?"

"You have legs, use 'em." The spirit chuckled.

"Listen here! Tonight has been a long and torturous night for me and I-" Edgeworth's rage fueled rant was cut short by the spirit brining up its scythe to Edgeworth's throat.

"Do you feel in charge?" The spirit's voice had changed from the bored, sarcastic tone into something terrifying. Edgeworth could not see the spirit's eyes from underneath the hood but he could still feel their glare, a glare so strong that he didn't need to see in order to fear. Edgeworth was terrified and was barely able to shake his head to signal the word "no". "That's because you aren't." The spirit continued "This isn't your place… It's mine, this is my domain and I'm in charge. Got it?" The terrified prosecutor looked down to the ground in fear, "Look at me…" The spirit demanded "LOOK AT ME!" Edgeworth's eyes looked upon the spirit's obscured face and nodded. The spirit lowered its weapon and used the wooden staff to shove the prosecutor forward signaling him to start walking.

"W-where are we going?" Edgeworth asked, but his question was greeted with silence as he continued to march forward through the darkness. As he continued to trek into the darkness as wind began to form. The wind was cold and bitter and grew harsher as Edgeworth kept walking. Finally the wind began to carry snowflakes along with it as the harsh winds knocked Edgeworth to the ground. In place of hard darkness, Edgeworth had managed to land on some snow. The spirit walked past him and stopped in its tracks, observing its surroundings.

"Welcome to home, Miles Edgeworth." The spirit said as Edgeworth got up from his fall and looked around. The two of them were in a grave yard that was covered in snow. Edgeworth dusted himself off as he walked over to stand next to the spirit.

"A vision of events yet to pass…" Edgeworth muttered.

"The future." The spirit commented.

"Knowing too much about one's future… It's dangerous." Edgeworth said as he looked at the spirit standing next to him.

"In this case… It's necessary." The spirit said as it placed its hand in the snow and scooped up a handful. The spirit released its grasp on the snow and allowed the wind to carry it off. "Follow it." The spirit told Edgeworth. Edgeworth thought to question the spirit but deemed it unwise considering what happened last time. The wind gently carried the snow as Edgeworth followed it. He watched as the snow fell atop a grave where a group of people attempted to comfort a sobbing man who lay hunched over the headstone, clutching it desperately. Edgeworth kept his distance as he watched a poorly shaven man in a grey hoodie and a blue beanie clutching a bottle walked over to the man and gave him a hug in an attempt to comfort him. Despite his sincerest efforts, this did not comfort the grieving man. The man in the grey hoodie walked back over to the rest of the group; which consisted of a young girl clad in a magician's outfit, a young man in a red waist coat with an unfortunate haircut, and a woman in a trench coat that he could not recognize from this distance.

"Apollo," The man in the hoodie spoke "Why don't you and Trucy go get some hot chocolate. It's freezing out here." The man's voice was eerily familiar but Edgeworth was certain that his mind was just playing tricks on him.

The young man in the waistcoat took hold of the magician's hand and they walked off leaving only the man in the grey hood, the woman in the trench coat, and the sobbing figure. The man and the woman in the trench coat knelt down next to the sobbing figure and helped him off of the ground. Edgeworth's eyes widened as he saw the face of the sobbing figure; it was Detective Gumshoe. His face was aged and his eyes were flushed from all the tears he had shed but Edgeworth knew that it was him without a doubt. The man in the grey hoodie used his body to support Gumshoe and help him get situated on his feet. Gumshoe wiped away his tears with his massive but gentle hands. Edgeworth's eyes began to tear up as well. Gumshoe was always so cheerful and optimistic, and it wrenched Edgeworth heart to see the gentle giant reduced to a sobbing mess.

"C'mon, let's go catch up with Apollo and Trucy. If we stay out here any longer we'll be popsicles." The grey hooded man said as he placed his bottle in the snow to use both of his hands to stop Gumshoe from collapsing on the floor. Gumshoe tried to speak but was too ridden with grief to do so, he managed find his footing. The grieving detective wrapped the man in a hug and cried in his shoulder as the man patted his back. Gumshoe let go of the man and wiped his tears as he walked away leaving only the man and the woman behind. "Why do bad things happen to good people?"

"Because life sucks." The woman responded. "I don't suppose I can join you all for hot chocolate, too."

The man shook his head sadly and took a deep breath "I'm sorry." The woman merely nodded understandingly before hugging the man before her. The man looked around for signs of anyone else before giving the woman a kiss on the head. "I have to go."

"I understand." The woman replied as she kissed the man's cheek. They both stood in front of each other for a while before taking off in opposite directions.

With that, everyone was gone from the graveyard leaving only Edgeworth. Edgeworth walked over to the headstone to see whose death Gumshoe was grieving. Snow had covered the headstone leaving only a singular letter visible on it, the letter 'M'. The name of whoever died began with the letter 'M'. Edgeworth reached out to wipe away the snow to discover whom the grave belonged to before stopping himself, dreading what he might see. Edgeworth knelt before the grave and wiped away a tear.

"Life sucks." A voice rang out, startling Edgeworth. Edgeworth looked up and saw the spirit standing over the headstone clenching its scythe. The spirit started to hit the head stone with the scythe's handle, causing the snow to fall off of it.

"Spirit, what are you doing!? Please, don't!" Edgeworth pleaded as the snow fell off of the headstone revealing more letters. "Please, I beg of you! I already know too much! Stop!" Edgeworth shouted as he stood up and grabbed hold of the scythe to prevent the spirit from revealing anymore to him. However the spirit over powered him and tossed him aside causing Edgeworth to bump into the headstone causing all of the snow to fall off of it. Edgeworth breathed heavily as he looked up at the headstone and began to read it. His heart dropped to his stomach once he did. "Miles" He read "Gumshoe… Miles Gumshoe?"

"He named his son after you." The spirit spoke "That's how much he admired you. There were complications… His wife, Maggey Gumshoe, died giving birth to their son. Shortly after, little Miles Gumshoe passed on too." The spirit said as it lifted the bottle that the man had left behind in the snow; it popped the top off with its scythe and took a swig of the drink. Edgeworth's eyes swelled up with tears and he pounded the floor with his fist.

"Spirit, are these the visions of events that may be or will be!? Can they still be changed!?" Edgeworth pleaded with tears flowing from his eyes.

"Not if the path you walk on remains unchanged… Justice will be served, however." The spirit said as it slammed the end of the scythe down on the ground as a dark shadow began to engulf the world around them. "We're going to have a trial for the murder of Miles and Maggey Gumshoe! Right here, right now!"

"What!?" Edgeworth questioned, backing away from the spirit.

"You, Miles Edgeworth, stand accused of murdering the family of Detective Dick Gumshoe!" The spirit once again slammed its scythe into the ground causing several figures consumed in shadows to spring forth from the ground. "The evidence is stacked against you! You cut his pay to the point where they couldn't afford a decent hospital! Where he couldn't afford to pay for the child's medication! You killed them, Miles Edgeworth!"

"No, no!" Edgeworth clutched his head in his hands "Stop it!"

"Has the jury reached a verdict?" The spirit asked.

A shadowy image of a woman holding a baby in her arms stepped forward and spoke, "_Guilty_" was the only word that escaped her lips.

"Very well then." The spirit said "This court finds Miles Edgeworth, guilty!" The spirit then stabbed its scythe into the ground and ripped a hole leading to fire and brimstone.

"No, please! I can change! Let me help him!" Edgeworth pleaded as the spirit took hold of him. Edgeworth clutched the spirit's cloak for dear life as the spirit shoved him into the hole. The cloak ripped off of the spirit and revealed the same man Edgeworth had seen earlier, the man in the grey hoodie with the blue beanie on his head. Edgeworth held on to the edge of the pit, desperate not to fall in. As he attempted to pull himself up, Manfred von Karma reached out from the hellhole in the ground and took hold Edgeworth's leg. "SPIRIT! HELP ME, SPIRIT!"

"Life sucks, Edgeworth." The spirit said as it looked down at him, his eyes full of sorrow. "You and I know this better than most people." He said as he took a final drink from the bottle and began to poor its contents on Edgeworth's face. It wasn't alcohol like Edgeworth suspected, it was grape juice. As the juice continued to poor on his face, Edgeworth's grip loosened from the edge of the pit and he fell in. He tumbled through the darkness and was about to hit the fires of Hell until he was surrounded by darkness.

"HELP ME, SPIRIT! HELP ME!" Edgeworth shouted until he felt himself hit the bottom of the pit with a thump. Edgeworth opened his eyes and found himself on the floor of the prosecutor's office. He looked around in a daze. "He let me live… HE LET ME LIVE!" Edgeworth rushed up from the ground and ran over to the window of his office. He opened it and looked outside to see Cody Hackings riding his bike through the streets.

"You! Boy! What day is it!?" Edgeworth shouted from the window.

"It's Christmas day! Man, for a grown-up you sure are dumb!" Cody shouted back.

"I didn't miss it! Haha! I didn't miss it!" Edgeworth laughed "Cody, can you do me a favor?" He asked.

"Depends, how much are you willing to pay?" Cody responded. Right on cue a giant wad of cash hit him in the face, "What do you need, sir!?"

"Go down to Q-Mart, buy the biggest turkey you can find, and deliver it to the address I wrote down on the paper at the bottom of the stack!" Edgeworth replied. Cody immediately saluted and rode off to get the turkey. "Spoiled brat." Edgeworth muttered under his breath.

"Who do you think sent it, sir?" Maggey asked as she watched Gumshoe carry the massive bird that had just been delivered to them by Cody. Gumshoe placed it on top of the table in his apartment and rubbed his hands together.

"I don't know but I can't wait to dig in, pal! I can finally use that old Gumshoe family recipe!" Gumshoe said. Just then there was a hard knock on the door. Gumshoe felt a cold sweat drip down his face as the knock sounded again. "B-be right there, pal!" Gumshoe opened the door and in the doorway stood a very angry looking Miles Edgeworth

"I thought I had said that you were working today, Detective." Edgeworth scolded as he walked in the room uninvited. The detective stammered but no coherent words came out of his mouth. Edgeworth raised his hand to shut Gumshoe up, "You know Detective, I've put up with a lot. And today's the day where I reached the breaking point! This sheer disregard of authority has left me no choice but to, hehe… ahem, no choice but to… heheheee… but to give you a raise." Edgeworth said as he smiled warmly at the detective and gave him a pat on the back. "Don't worry about work today. Enjoy Christmas with those close to you." Gumshoe and Maggey stood there staring at the prosecutor with their mouths agape, staring in disbelief as Edgeworth hummed and danced his way out of the apartment.

"Here goes nothing…" Edgeworth mumbled to himself as he stood outside the door to Wright and Co. Law Offices. With a deep breath Edgeworth knocked on the door and waited. The door opened and at the door stood Maya Fey wearing the locket around her neck with the trademarked "Maya Smile" in full force.

"Edgeworth!" She greeted as she hugged the prosecutor. "I didn't think you'd show up!"

"Well, I figured that no harm could come of it." Edgeworth replied. "I'd be more than happy if you'd allow me to spend Christmas with your… family."

"Awww, Edgeworth… You're family, too!" Maya replied as she let Edgeworth in. "Let me let Nick know you're here… HEY NICK! THE GRINCH IS HERE TO STEAL CHRISTMAS!"

"It's a good thing we nailed everything down, then!" Phoenix's voice sounded from upstairs.

"Yes, humorous indeed." Edgeworth muttered to himself as Phoenix's footsteps sounded as he came down the stairs. Edgeworth's expression changed from his usual dry demeanor to one of shock as his eyes widened when he saw Phoenix. Phoenix was wearing the grey hoodie, the very same one that the spirit in his dream wore. "No…" Edgeworth mumbled under his breath.

"D-do you like it?" Maya nervously asked as she clutched her locket. "I-I know it's lousy compared to the present you got me but…"

"I love it!" Phoenix said. "It's the most comfortable thing I've ever worn! You said you made this?" He asked.

"With some help from the village elders…" Maya replied modestly, still clutching her locket.

Edgeworth thought back to the spirit's appearance and voice… It was Wright. How could he not have seen it before? What happened to make him so… miserable? So bitter? Edgeworth thought heavily on this as his eyes shifted from the duo to the trash can that sat next to him; he looked inside and found the card that Maya had decided to throw away. Edgeworth picked the card out from the trash and read its contents; smiling to himself he placed the card in his pocket as he looked up and watched the couple share a hug. Any problems that would arrive in the future would have to wait, today was Christmas and Edgeworth was going to spend it with his family (Well, aside from Franziska, she'd whip him and call him a fool for partaking in such a foolish holiday).

"Oh I love you Mystic Maya! I love you too, Mr. Nick" A small voice rang out as Pearl walked down the stairs, playing with her two new dolls that Santa got her.

"Hey Pearls, can you get Mr. Edgeworth his present." Phoenix asked.

"Ok!" Pearl responded cheerfully as she pulled out Edgeworth's present from under the tree. She walked over and placed the gift into the prosecutor's hand.

"To our favorite prosecutor from the Wright-Fey family" Edgeworth read the card aloud. "You really didn't have to, I mean I didn't even get you all any…"

"Hurry up and open it!" Maya exclaimed. Edgeworth submitted and opened up his gift. Inside the box was a picture of his father and mother holding an infant Edgeworth, and a pair of glasses. Edgeworth's hand trembled as he pulled out the photograph and looked at it.

"We did some digging and found an old friend of your dad who had this picture. We thought you might like it since we know you didn't have any pictures of your family left after… Well, you know." Phoenix explained.

"Also, we saw you struggling to read some papers the other day so we got you a temporary pair of glasses. They're the type your father wore." Maya said as Edgeworth put them on.

A single tear dripped down Edgeworth face as he smiled at Phoenix and Maya. He went over to them and did something unusual for the prosecutor, he hugged them. "Thank you." He muttered as he held them both.

"Weird" Phoenix mouthed to Maya.

"I know right" She mouthed back.

Edgeworth let go of his two friends and wiped the tears from his eyes, "So, what do you two want to do?"

"Let's watch A Christmas Carol!" Maya suggested enthusiastically.

"NO!" Edgeworth raised his voice. "I mean, let's watch something else…"

"Awww, but Pearly loves the line at the end of it." Maya looked at Pearl "What was it again, Pearly?"

Pearl cleared her throat, "Merry Christmas and God bless us everyone!"


End file.
